BREEDING WHITE CLOVER FOR TOLERANCE TO LOW-TEMPERATURE AND GRAZING STRESS

Low temperature and grazing are the two major stresses limiting white clover yield in mixed swards grown in the marginal areas of the UK. Wh ite clover has traditionally been used to improve productivity in such areas but is increasingly being used to reduce input costs in more pr oductive areas. Considerable genetic variation exists in characters as sociated with cold tolerance, low temperature growth and grazing toler ance. This paper describes recent progress in developing varieties tol erant to three major stresses and which give greater and more reliable production.